Social Work, MA

We hope that this is the beginning of a long association with Canterbury Christ Church University, which will continue after you have completed this course.  

We look forward to meeting you at Welcome Week where we have planned activities to prepare you for your social work journey. 

Please ensure that you engage with all Occupational Health, DBS or Placement planning activities required by the Admissions Team. Failure to complete this by the time you register on the course may result in you not being able to proceed with your studies.

We are proud to be an inclusive University that supports a diverse community of students. Please note that if you have a disability or would like to learn more about the support that we can offer to students, please visit the Disability and Mental Health website.

Welcome and Induction

Please make sure you engage with your Course Welcome Week.

Occupational Health  

Students need to obtain Occupational Health clearance to ensure they are fit to practice. You will be prompted via your ‘MyRecord’ to complete a clearance check and directed to an online health questionnaire. You are not required to attend an Occupational Health vaccination appointment as a Social Work student.   

Please note, as a Social Work student you will not be supplied with uniform by the university.

For enquiries about your occupational health clearance please email cccustudents@ohworks.co.uk or phone 01227 286288.

Getting Ready for your Course

The MA Social Work course has both academic (taught) and professional (practice) components. You will be expected to build on your skills as an autonomous learner through self-directed learning activities, seminar discussion groups, and skills-based activities to lay the foundation for practice. 

It would be helpful to immerse yourself in any activity that is social work related. The course will teach you about social work generally and will enable you to successfully work in a range of settings. The course provides you with the opportunity to build on your previous experiences and to develop the skills and knowledge required for effective social work practice. 

We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.

You can refresh your social work skills and knowledge by reading the book ‘How to be a Social Worker: A Critical Guide for students’ by Dunk-West Patricia (2018), 2nd edition, published by Bloomsbury Publishing PL.

Additionally, you might find it interesting and useful to:

• read Community Care online for social work news
• find out more about the guidance for students from Social Work England
• become familiar with the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work.

To get started, please have a look at the websites of Social Work England (SWE) and the British Association of Social Work (BASW) which will give you some interesting insights into the social work role, standards, and requirements in practice. 

• Social Work England - Professional standards 
• British Association of Social Work (BASW) -Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF)  
• Top tip guide for Social Work students 

You can also read BASW England Student and NQSW Group’s ‘Top Tip Guide for Student Social Workers,’ the only one of its kind to be written by, and for, students and experts by experience. Packed with study resources, direct work tools and reflections, this is an invaluable guide to support learning at university: Layout 1 (basw.co.uk) 

Recommended Reading List: 

• Adams, R. (2010) The Short Guide to Social Work. Bristol: The Policy Press.  
• Barrington, F. (2015) Known to Social Services. East Longmeadow: Faraxa Publishing.  
• Doel, M. (2012) Social Work: The Basics. London: Routledge.  
• Hilton, S. (2015) More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First. London: Penguin Random House.  
• Horner, N. (2012) What is Social Work? Contexts and Perspectives. 4th ed. Exeter: Learning Matters. 
• Howe, D., and Hill, D. (2024) A brief introduction to social work theory. London: Bloomsbury. 
• Jones, O. (2011) Chavs: The demonization of the Working Class. London: Verso.  
• Palattiyil, G., Sidhva, D and Chakrabarti, M. (2016) Social Work in a Global Context: Issues and Challenges. Abingdon: Routledge. 
• Parker, J. and Bradley, G. (2014) Social Work Practice 4th ed. London: Sage. 
• Pierson, J. (2010) Tackling Social Exclusion. 2nd edn. Abingdon: Routledge.  
• Sissay, L. (2019) My Name is Why, Edinburgh: Canongate Books. 
• Thompson, N. (2015) Understanding Social Work 4th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave.